Chicago

Chicago is a musical full of colour that paradoxically takes place within the dark walls of an American prison, home to sophisticated murderers but also great artists in the field of dance and singing. The most unforgettable scene was without a doubt the prison tango, it had momentum, excellent choreography and funny sequences around the murders of our lovely ladies. The trio of Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere are brimming with acting, singing and dancing talent, which is quite a powerful combination. And the supporting actors like Queen Latifah, and John C. Reilly also impress. In short, a film that, while not perfect, is above average as a representative of its genre and definitely worthy of another viewing. (12/07/2011)

I expected almost nothing from Chicago and maybe that’s why I had so much fun. My heart still belongs to the other great musical from the early 21st century (the time they were made, BTW, is the only thing Chicago and Moulin Rouge have in common), but it still deserves a thumbs up; it’s certainly not the undeserved Oscar winner many people say. (18/02/2011)

Nonsensical acting and screenwriting Oscar nominations shake hands with technical brilliance in 100 minutes of entertainment that flies by. The music is perfect, led by the catchy hit "All That Jazz" (I love jazz), and the choreography of the dance numbers is remarkable, the most striking of which were the journalist "puppets" on strings with a great performance by the pleasantly surprising Gere and Zellweger. The latter, like Zeta-Jones, sings very well, dances brilliantly, but unfortunately also shows off her limited acting range with position #1: "dumb Bridget". As a result, I felt like I was sitting in some fancy Chicago club, watching one jazz-dance act after another in a show about two murderesses and one greedy defense attorney, ignoring the fact that all that bombastic glitz is hiding a flimsy script and an unexciting plot. The main thing was that the eyes and ears were happy. And they were pouring great champagne too... (14/07/2006)

Chicago one of those films that you might not necessarily dislike, let alone throw away, but doesn’t offer practically anything new or innovative, and you will probably to avoid a feeling of boredom during the screening. The captivatingly shot dance scenes in the cabarets do not make up for the rather dismal screenplay and main plot. The performances are excellent, and above all, the actors are the engine of the whole film, without whom it would suffer from the boredom syndrome even a little more than it should be healthy. (26/10/2003)

Actually, it was only the Oscar triumph that lured me to this otherwise somewhat underrated musical, but I certainly don't regret it. And this is thanks to the pleasantly funny story, mostly from a prison setting, which does not spare black humour while irradiating good mood. And then mainly because of the actors and the choreographies performed by everyone involved. Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere and John C. Reilly give quite possibly the performances of their lives, and the confused cackle of Renée Zellweger, who apparently still hasn't driven Bridget out of her head, fits in perfectly. And if we also take into account Danny Elfman's music, the costumes and the sets, the Oscar it’s not so embarrassing... (12/07/2012)